Archive for June, 2008

Exo. 4:21And the LORD said unto Moses, When thou goest to return into Egypt, see that thou do all those wonders before Pharaoh, which I have put in thine hand: but I will harden his heart, that he shall not let the people go. 22 And thou shalt say unto Pharaoh, Thus saith the LORD, Israel is my son, even my firstborn: 23 And I say unto thee, Let my son go, that he may serve me: and if thou refuse to let him go, behold, I will slay thy son, even thy firstborn.

Nelson Mandela was born in Umtata, Cape of Good Hope, South Africa July 18, 1918. He was given a life sentence in 1962, but was released some 27 years later by President F.W. de Klerk in 1990. Imagine the pressure the President must have been under to not only keep Mandela imprisoned, but to keep South Africa under minority rule. So what caused him to free Mandela, and other political figures, despite the realization that many would oppose such a move? Succinctly, it must have been the possibility of Divine Judgment!

With rebelliousness polluting our spirit, the maturation of our judgment (discernment) can be effectively retarded. Our thoughts are influenced by either the Spirit of God, who wants us to live, or the Evil One, who wants to turn us away from God. This, in turn, can render us susceptible to a detrimental judgment (verdict) from God because of some indiscretion on our part. Understanding judgment compels us to live a life that pleases the Father of Lights, who gives every good and perfect gift (Jam. 1:17)!

If we choose not to please Him, the need for “purging” (detrimental judgment) arises (Jhn. 15:2). Even people who are not necessarily religious may be aware that “…God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap(Gal. 6:7).” However, a great many people seem unconcern about that contingency, and therein lies the problem Moses would face with Pharaoh in the KEY SCRIPTURE.

Moses was spiritually prepared to “deliver” religious freedom, and Social Justicefor the Israelite slaves of Pharaoh. This latter concept is not universal as the political left basically wants everyone to live equally, while the right wants a free market system. Both sides, however, believe in the observance of the law, human rights, and welfare in varying degrees. The moderate holds a position between these two sides.

True love allowsPersonal Freedom, although it is protective, as evidenced now that all the factions (disagreeing sides) among the Israelites appear to come together. I Jhn. 4:8 says that “…God is love”, so He lets us choose our position, our religion, and – life or death!Jude states “14…the Lord cometh with ten thousands of His saints, 15To execute judgment upon all, and to convince all that are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have ungodly committed, and of all their hard speeches which ungodly sinners have spoken against Him. 16These are murmurers, complainers, walking after their own lusts; and their mouth speaketh great swelling words, having men’s persons in admiration because of advantage.”

Furthermore, Pharaoh had the choice to free God’s firstborn, or see his first born die (read in the KEY SCRIPTURE). Today’s “Pharaoh” are the task-oriented who won’t operate in the fruit of the Spirit (Gal. 5:22-23), misleading God’s people (Rom. 8:14) for their own worldly gain. Surely God’s judgement awaits them! On the other hand, let us remember Mat. 5:11“Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. 12Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.”

Exo. 4:18 And Moses went and returned to Jethro his father in law, and said unto him, Let me go, I pray thee, and return unto my brethren which are in Egypt, and see whether they be yet alive. And Jethro said to Moses, Go in peace. 19 And the LORD said unto Moses in Midian, Go, return into Egypt: for all the men are dead which sought thy life. 20 And Moses took his wife and his sons, and set them upon an ass, and he returned to the land of Egypt: and Moses took the rod of God in his hand.

Effectiveness:1.

producing a result: causing a result, especially the desired or intended result (an effective remedy for headaches).2.having a striking result: successful, especially in producing a strong or favorable impression on people (The painting had the characteristics of a winner, including effective color use).3. actual: actual or in practice, even if not officially or theoretically so (he was effective ruler during the monarch’s last illness).

Retardation:1. slowing: the process or fact of slowing down.

Robert George (Bobby) Seale co-founded the Black Panther Party with Huey Newton in Oakland, California in October 1966. In more recent years, he authored a cookbook called Barbequing with Bobby and was also a spokesman for Ben & Jerry’s ice cream. In 2002, Seale began dedicating his time to Reach!, a group focused on youth education programs. Also, he currently teachesblack studiesatTemple UniversityinPhiladelphiaand is also launching an instructional, nonprofit group helping people develop the necessary techniques and tools to set up community organization within their neighborhoods (From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia).

Even though the methodologies of our youth may have yielded some desired results, the toll was great. Faced with a need to be more effective in attaining our goals, we may initially try to continue on a path which promises us certain doom by overlooking negative consequences (denial phase). We become inert, retarding our maturation due to a lack/surplus of faith in our leadership, our relationships, and/or in our abilities. This condition causes us to rationalize our constrictive, dogmatic attitudes, instead of developing a more congenial (agreeable), and holistic perspective (defensive phase). Therefore our fulfillment can not be realized as we focus only on the present, without much faith or concern in the future (destructive phase). These phases, and any self-fulfilling prophecies, are overcame by a Christ-like attitude(Mat. 20:28).

We see that the situation that caused Moses to flee to Midian has calmed down (KEY SCRIPTURE). Now he can attend to his assignment, which is a blessing to others! In a wise move, he made sure not to “burn the bridge” between him and Jethro, who would truly provide invaluable counsel to Moses later on. The point is, a viewpoint refined by the Holy Spirit today can overcome the past for a victorious tomorrow!

Exo.4:1 And Moses answered and said, But, behold, they will not believe me, nor hearken unto my voice: for they will say, The LORD hath not appeared unto thee.

2 And the LORD said unto him, What is that in thine hand? And he said, A rod. 3 And He said, Cast it on the ground. And he cast it on the ground, and it became a serpent; and Moses fled from before it. 4 And the LORD said unto Moses, Put forth thine hand, and take it by the tail. And he put forth his hand, and caught it, and it became a rod in his hand:

Gimmick: 1. Something such as a new technique or device that attracts attention or publicity. 2. An ingenious device, mechanism, or ploy, especially one that works in a concealed way. 3. A piece of concealed information that, if known, would make an offer or opportunity less attractive. 4. A piece of trickery or manipulation intended to achieve a result dishonestly.

Publicity: 1. Attention-getting info.

Giving away premiums or inducements is one way that professional sport teams attract fans with what we may call a gimmick. These teams will bestow posters, hats, T-shirts, etc., on some fans who may love their team, but are now very excited because of one of these gimmicks! A person who wants to get in the entertainment business knows upfront that a gimmick is necessary in order to gain glory (fame, praise) over the competition. Ever bought a CD for $.01 on the condition that you purchase at least three within a year? How many times have you been victimized by “hidden fees”? Well my friend, these are examples of gimmicks used to seduce you to make a wise and/or unwise purchase!

The “gimmick” (sign) that God had Moses use to attract “fans” (the Children of Israel) was the rod (KEY SCRIPTURE), which represents the power of the Holy Spirit. To induce Moses to undertake his assignment, God uses the burning bush as a sign! In our zeal to be The Man, The Next Man, The Big Man, etc., we may rush to lead without the Holy Spirit, weak with a diffused light or none at all (Mat. 15:14; Rom. 10). You may feel encouraged to jump into a leadership role because you hear people saying, “go!” Later, when you find yourself out on a limb by yourself, you then realize what they meant by saying, “go!”

The role of a good leader is to safely guide you to achieve fulfillment in your life, which is your destiny! Jesus said …I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly (Jhn. 10:10). Perhaps you saw the movie, “Million Dollar Baby”, and you noticed how the special relationship between Clint Eastwood and Hilary Swank evolved. After “Frankie” lost a good prospect, “Maggie” pesters him to become her manager, and in time he starts to care about her. She isn’t concerned about any problems he’s had with other fighters, and even though she was tempted she never wavered in her devotion to him.

Taking a leap of faith is a good thing, however the Bible teaches us to “add to our faith…(II Pet. 1:5-7).” We certainly need to allow ourselves to be coached, polished, and disciplined, etc., by leaders who has God’s Will, Way, and Word as their Guide! That will ensure our “fruitfulness” as it did Clint and Hilary, and that my friends is NO GIMMICK!

Exo. 3:13And Moses said unto God, Behold, when I come unto the children of Israel, and shall say unto them, The God of your fathers hath sent me unto you; and they shall say to me, What is His name? what shall I say unto them?14And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and He said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you. 15And God said moreover unto Moses, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, the LORD God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, hath sent me unto you: this is My name for ever, and this is My memorial unto all generations.

Back in the Disco Days, there was an old storeowner in the Black community who was selling fake rabbit coats. One day a neighborhood tough kid enters the store and asked, “how much you selling these coats fo’?” The kindly old man said, “well, young man, these coats only cost $39.00.” The kid said, “man, I‘m only givin’ you $29.00,” and threw three $10 bills on the counter. He then leaves saying, “keep the change.”

The kid runs into one of his boys and told him of this deal, who performed the same thing to the old man. Other “toughs” repeated this transaction, and at the end of the day they all presented their girls with a fake rabbit coat. When the old man got home he gave his wife a mink stole from money gained from the toughs!

This story illuminates the verse – Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth (Mat. 5:5). By his humility, the old man ends up with a greater blessing than the “toughs”, and illustrates why God expects His people to exhibit meekness. Moreover, God expects us to fulfill our purpose which He reveals to us when we are humble. As long as we maintain faith in our abilities alone, we are like the “toughs” and can not see the pattern (conceptualize, classify, cultivate, commision, crowns)God utilizes. Furthermore God, whose plan includes blessing us, gets no glory with “toughs”! The KEY SCRIPTURE states that His name is “I AM THAT I AM”, establishing Him as the True God. He is the God of old and for ALL generations, and thus He is able to assure us of the promise of life!

PLAN: Innocence, Responsibility, Autonomous, Faithfulness.

PURPOSE: Idyll, Standardize, Productive, Improvement.

PROMISE: Life, Atonement, No Floods, Blessings.

Gen. 1:26; Gen. 3:7; Gen. 8:15; Gen. 12:1…

We are being called to do what Moses did, and that’s to get God’s people freed from their “Egypt”. That’s why it is vitally important that we hear, and then adhere to the principles of the Word of God! No matter what situation we’re in now, we must praise, be unalterable, study, and honor Him in our thoughts, speech, and actions.

Exo. 3:11 And Moses said unto God, Who am I, that I should go unto Pharaoh, and that I should bring forth the children of Israel out of Egypt? 12 And He said, Certainly I will be with thee; and this shall be a token unto thee, that I have sent thee: When thou hast brought forth the people out of Egypt, ye shall serve God upon this mountain.

How many of you remember the days of the “Sock Hop”? For those of you who are unfamiliar with the term, it was a dance that was sponsored by the faculty at a given high school. For some of us, this was a very challenging time since we were trying to learn how to deal with the opposite sex. Not wanting our so-called friends to label us a “sissy” or a “tease”, we got involved with “games” that were not wholesome.

This was a time when we deviated from the values that was instilled into us from our parents, or guardians, whose job was to guide us safely into adulthood. Somehow, we saw those values as irrelevant, and started down that Yellow Brick Road, in an effort to “fit in”. At the time, we would not have received the notion that true happiness is independent of ill-advised activities, so we continued in our “mess” oblivious to any ramification. Praise God that He kept us through these times when we struggled with our insecurities!

We find an insecure Moses in the KEY SCRIPTURE, who was admonished to “…put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground (Exo. 3:5).” This command is analogous to becoming a “…new creature; old things are passed away(II Cor. 5:17).” Paul informs us in I Cor. 15:31, “…I die daily”, indicating that our consecration is a continuing process, which is required so that we can attain a higher state of blessedness. By fulfilling our purpose for which we were created (praising His “glory and honor and power – Rev. 4:11”), God blesses us to be “…fruitful and multiply(ied) (Gen. 1:28)!” Evidently, God wants us blessed so that we become more mature in our worship of Him, and so that we are a blessing to others!

When you are blessed, you can help a brother out of his mess. When you are blessed, you can tell a sister how to righteously handle stress. In other words, when you are blessed, you become an example who empower others to achieve their best. God wants us to be Kingdom-minded, which means we have to eschew (abstain from) attitudes, behaviors, and character-flaws which don’t effectively portray His Spirit of “…love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness (or grace, which saves us from our enemies within and without – Psa. 23:5-6; Eph. 2:8), faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control(Gal. 5:22-23)!”

To encourage His servant, God informs him of what to expect “when thou hast brought forth the people out of Egypt (KEY SCRIPTURE).” Note what Jesus said in Mat. 10:40, “he that receiveth you receiveth Me, and he that receiveth Me receiveth Him that sent Me.” God expects us to carry out our assignments confidently, and not to try to dance our way out of them. Our obedience, judgment, preferences, and outlook should reflect the Son, whose unmitigated (complete) faith in the Father shone while on the cross!

Exo. 3:7 And the LORD said, I have surely seen the affliction of my people which are in Egypt, and have heard their cry by reason of their taskmasters; for I know their sorrows; 8 And I am come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians, and to bring them up out of that land unto a good land and a large, unto a land flowing with milk and honey; unto the place of the Canaanites, and the Hittites, and the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites. 9 Now therefore, behold, the cry of the children of Israel is come unto me: and I have also seen the oppression wherewith the Egyptians oppress them. 10 Come now therefore, and I will send thee unto Pharaoh, that thou mayest bring forth my people the children of Israel out of Egypt.

In estate planning, there is a financial strategy called “The Round Robin Method” which is utilized to increase your credit scores. Let’s say you take $1,000 to open a bank account; you then borrow $1,000 from that account to open another account. You borrow from this second account to open a third, and then borrow one last time for the fourth account. With the fourth account you make payments to the other three accounts on time to establish a favorable credit rating.

A more efficient financial strategy to employ would require us to be disciplined with our credit, i.e. making timely payments and living within our means! Among other reasons, a lot of homeowners without discipline have sadly lost their homes to foreclosure. Sometimes the breadwinner in the family gets ill or dies, and therefore the payment can’t be “produced”. Obviously, rises in expenditures (taxes, maintenance, etc.) can also hinder one’s ability to make payments, on time or otherwise.

The Good Bank looks for you to produce “fruit”, which is in the form of your timely payments. You are encouraged to make home improvements so that even the property value of the homes in your area rises. This stimulates financial growth for your community, and inspires the people in the neighborhood to be conscientious (Order #1). This would induce them to be more considerate of each other, and inspire a sense of responsibility (Order #2). Moreover, your community becomes autonomous (Order #3) by patronizing your neighbors; overly investing with “outsiders” may decimate your economic infrastructure.

God is looking for His people to makeprogress(Order #4 – the remaining three will be discussed later) on the spiritual, social, and personal levels. In the KEY SCRIPTURE we see that the nations residing in the Land of Canaan are to be replaced by the Children of Israel after becoming freed of their Egyptian bondage. This eviction is due to the lack of “fruit”, in terms of righteousness, “produced” by the soon-to-be erstwhile (former) landowners. The economy of these nations, and Egypt, will be slowed now that God has raised Moses to lead His people from a task-oriented society, to a fertile region which showcases the purpose, and power of God. The true Round Robin Methodinvolves God’s temporal and eternal blessings of Israel, and those who bless Israel! With that in mind, please note the following “true Jews” (Rom. 2:29)!

Exo. 3:5 And He said, Draw not nigh hither: put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground. 6 Morover He said, I am the God of thy father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. And Moses hid his face; for he was afraid to look upon God.

“Why in the world would anybody put chains on me? I’ve paid my dues to make it. Everybody wants me to be what they want me to be. I’m not happy when I try to fake it! No! Ooh, that’s why I’m easy, I’m easy like Sunday morning. That’s why I’m easy, I’m easy like Sunday morning.”

What is it like to be “easy like Sunday morning”? For me it’s like being free of the harried (stressful) life we have to deal with during the week. It’s a time when we get away from the madness of our lives, and we can participate in activities that make us happy. Why would anybody try to rob you of this opportunity? It appears that there is a desire on the part of some people to fulfill their need by manipulating you! Their objective may be to get you to conform in a way that restricts your ability to maximize your potential. It’s the Cinderella Syndromein which you are relegated to a role that is not only unsatisfying, but it stifles your growth as a person. Theologically, this syndrome restricts a principle to one context, and stunts maturity.

The Bible teaches us that God is “no respecter of persons” (Rom. 2:11; Act. 10:34-35; II Chr. 19:7). In terms of salvation, God doesn’t care about your sex, race, age, or class, He’s just wants you and I to have a righteous attitude. Why? Because “righteousness tends to life” (Prv. 11:19), and life typifies the Will of God (Jhn. 6:40)! However, can we distinguish the difference between righteousness and being right?

Imagine two delivery trucks coming from opposite ends of a one-lane strip, both having a schedule to keep. Both are “right”, however, the one who moves over is righteous! In principle Prv. 11:19 (social level) mirrors the context in Mat. 6:33 (personal level)/Rom. 10:9 (spiritual level)! God is about the preservation of life, and wants us to be righteous – even before being right! This requires you to “put off thy shoes” (which are for “zombies”; mired; can’t attain God’s perspective or, “holy ground” – KEY SCRIPTURE). Does this mean He wants us to do wrong? Of course not! However, our “right” may not reflect God’s purpose.

Exo. 3:1 Now Moses kept the flock of Jethro his father in law, the priest of Midian: and he led the flock to the backside of the desert, and came to the mountain of God, even to Horeb. 2And the angel of the LORD appeared unto him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush: and he looked, and, behold, the bush burned with fire, and the bush was not consumed. 3And Moses said, I will now turn aside, and see this great sight, why the bush is not burnt. 4And when the LORD saw that he turned aside to see, God called unto him out of the midst of the bush, and said, Moses, Moses. And he said, Here am I.

ALLEGORY: 1. symbolic work: a work in which the characters and events are to be understood as representing other things and symbolically expressing a deeper, often spiritual, moral, or political meaning.

2. symbolic expression of meaning in story: the symbolic expression of a deeper meaning through a story or scene acted out by human, animal, or mythical characters the poet’s use of allegory.

3. genre: allegories considered as a literary or artistic genre.

4. symbolic representation: a symbol of something.

In the KEY SCRIPTURE we’re able to see what must be described as God’s call on the life of Moses. Allegorically the flock represents followers (Prv.27:23) or disciplines (teachings) of the priets of Midian, a land representing a mid-point in the spiritual journey of Moses. In Gen. 25:1-6 Abraham a son named Midian (strife, contention, division, and disunity) from his second wife Keturah, and he moved this son and his five brothers east of Canaan.

So, “Now Moses kept the flock” reveals that Jethro the Midianite is training the Hebrew Moses in leadership to prepare him to become a priest, albeit maybe for the god Baal-Peor (“Lord of the opening” whose idol is called Chemosh Chemoshhttp://reslight.net/divinenameinnt.html).

Then, however, Moses goes far into the desert (“the backside of the desert“) which may smbolize the depletion of this spiritual training (deserts water which represents spirit), and the beginning of his relationship with YHWH at Horeb mountain! Certainly, it can be seen that the “burning bush” represents a breakthrough for Moses. We find in this story of Moses that he is in yet another stage of infancy, which in this case was spiritual. Many of us struggle with the prospect of rearing infants and children, so to shed light on the issue of CHILD ABUSEwe should learn to raise our kids as God raises His servants!

Exo. 2:18 And when they came to Reuel their father, he said, How is it that ye are come so soon to day 19 And they said, An Egyptian delivered us out of the hand of the shepherds, and also drew water enough for us, and watered the flock 20 And he said unto his daughters, And where is he? why is it that ye have left the man? call him, that he may eat bread. 21 And Moses was content to dwell with the man: and he gave Moses Zipporah his daughter. 22 And she bare him a son, and he called his name Gershom: for he said, I have been a stranger in a strange land.

“PAXSON FOR THREE!” That phrase has a familiar ring to it for a lot of people who experienced the years when the Chicago Bulls were the toast of the town. Leading the way of course was Michael Jordan and his mind-boggling, jaw-dropping, gravity-defying act, which was later accentuated with an outstanding post-up game, and a masterful display of long-range shooting! And alongside him there was Scottie Pippen, the highly versatile “point” forward, whose play on both ends of the court earned him a spot as one of the 50th greatest NBA players of all time! There was also the hard-working Horace Grant, the youthful-yet-deadly shooter B. J. Armstrong, and a superb supporting cast of various specialists with scintillating skills.

However, let us focus on Bulls guard John Paxson who, is best known for his play during the 1993 NBA Finals. In Game 6 at the America West Arena in Phoenix, the Bulls were down by two as Paxson took a pass from Horace Grant and buried a three pointer with 3.9 seconds left, giving the Bulls a 99-98 lead. The victory was then secured by a last-second block from Horace Grant! In his NBA career, John started 369 games, and averaged 7.2 points and 3.6 assists per game.

To some extent, when relegated to a lesser role we become “a stranger.” Paxson, a long-time starter for the Bulls, joined them in 1985, and had to perennially endure a ferocious battle for his spot. He finally, lost his starting job to B. J. in 1993, and it had to feel strange to be a new bench player. Psychologically, entering into a game now as a reserve, after being a career starter, had to make him feel like he was in a “strange land.” General speaking, others’ expectations for a starter is certainly unlike those for a reserve; the expectations of the starter himself also differ generally from those of a reserve. After being demoted, with little time left in the game, and with most of the familiar names not being involved in the end of the play, ol’ number 5 made the biggest shot of his professional career!

Accomplishing any major goal:(1)usually require that we get some major instructions and training, and (2) is a product of our will. To stimulate our will we must be inspired, or “get it” (see the light) so that we can accomplish the mission our will is confronted with. Before we can finally realize how to engage this mission (or our methodology), we need intuition to bring our objective into a sharper focus. Our desires may give us a general idea of what it is we want in our lives, without actually giving us the solution(s) necessary for its manifestation(s). We can either be selfless or selfish in our desires based on our maturity level. However, do realize that what happened for a “selfless” Paxson could happen for you! “Delight thyself also in the LORD: and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart(Psa 37:4).”

When not inspired we may feel like we have “a hole in our soul.” Perhaps the feeling is one of anger, or maybe even hunger for that “missing ingredient”. The best way to overcome this is by partaking in “The Bread of Life(Jhn. 6:48-52).” Eating this “Bread”, a.k.a. the Word, which was “in the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God(Jhn. 1:1)”, prepares you for “the works of God, that ye believe on Him whom He hath sent(Jhn. 6:29).” God “sends” those who are filled with Bread, even as He sent Jesus, because they are anointed for His “work”! “And He that sent Me is with Me: the Father hath not left Me alone; for I do always those things that please Him (Jhn. 8:29).” Heb. 11:6 states “… without faith it is impossible to please Him: for he that cometh to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him.” To battle confusion, emptiness, trepidation, etc., we need to add to our faith:

1. VIRTUE

1. goodness: the quality of being morally good or righteous 2. good quality: a particular quality that is morally good .3. admirable quality: a particular quality that is good or admirable, but not necessarily in terms of morality 4. cardinal or theological morality: any of the cardinal virtues, such as justice or moderation, or of the theological virtues, such as hope or charity 5. chastity: the moral quality of being chaste, especially in a woman 6. worth: the worth, advantage, or beneficial quality of something 7. effective force: the power or efficacy that something contains to do something (archaic);

2. KNOWLEDGE

1. information in mind: general awareness or possession of information, facts, ideas, truths, or principles . 2. specific information: clear awareness or explicit information, for example, of a situation or fact 3. all that can be known: all the information, facts, truths, and principles learned throughout time;

3. TEMPERANCE

1. restraint: self-restraint in the face of temptation or desire;

4. PERSEVERANCE

1. determined continuation with something: steady and continued action or belief, usually over a long period and especially despite difficulties or setbacks 2. Christianity: Calvinist concept of divine grace: in Calvinism, the belief that God’s grace brings selected people, the elect, to salvation (Jhn. 6:37); Roman Catholic belief in God’s grace: the Roman Catholic Church believes that God’s grace lasts to the end of somebody’s life if that person has maintained his or her good works and faith (Jhn. 5:29);

5. GODLINESS

1. devout: devoted to or worshiping God (formal) 2. divine: fit for God or a god, or having godlike qualities;

6. BROTHERLY KINDNESS:

1. showing the affection a of brother: the showing feelings that a brother might be expected to have toward his sister or brother 2. ability to behave kindly: the practice of being or the capability to be sympathetic and compassionate 3 compassionate act: an act that shows consideration and caring;

all seven which may represent the “fullness of God” (II Pet. 1:5-7, i.e. the seven daughters). Notice how what starts as a “mustard seed of faith(Mat. 17:20),” eventually becomes that ultimate expression of God called agape love (I John 4:8, 16). This love sometimes make us put other people’s problem before even our own, making us more effective leaders (“How is it that ye are come so soon to day?” in KEY SCRIPTURE). So, it is evident that being self-sacrificing shouldn’t be so strange to us!